This article was written by Prof. Wesley Wildman for The Presbyterian Outlook, and was originally published on September 15, 2021. The following is an excerpt only; please read the full article here.
Thoughts on Innovation from a Change Skeptic
We like to think what we do matters.Has an impact. Changes lives. But does it?
I confess: I’m a “change skeptic.”
A change skeptic is someone who has trouble believing (often rosy) self-assessments about how our earnest actions lead to real change, to the betterment of lives.
This chronic cognitive condition is typically brought on by witnessing too much overly hopeful thinking about how change supposedly occurs. It is exacerbated by personally participating in supposed processes of radical transformation that turn out to be not so radical, or even transformational.
As I begin my first full year as dean of the Boston University School of Theology, I am invigorated by the opportunities of this moment. Shaped by the challenges and lessons of the past year, the world is now feeling its way toward a new way of being. So too are religious institutions, including the School of Theology.
In this task, and in meeting the needs of our students, the entire STH community, and beyond, I ask for your financial support as we begin a new academic year.
Just as religious leaders are rethinking the shape and practices of religion, we at STH need to rethink what religious leadership can be. To me, pastoral leaders should be stewards who draw on their rich traditions without being stifled by them, summoners who convene and build networks and partnerships, and trailblazers who spur substantive response to societal problems by stimulating and supporting necessary change.
Guided by this vision, we can chart a path toward an effective and inspired theological education. In this, STH is uniquely equipped by its widely recognized identity as a school of prophets, from Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59) to the present day. We are strengthened, too, by our firm stand for the principles of social justice and inclusion.
As I work with our faculty, staff, Dean’s Advisory Board (alumni), students, and University leadership to develop the school’s next strategic plan, several priorities are already clear. For each of these, your support can make a real difference:
Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which are bolstered by an endowed Sacred Worth Scholarship Fund as we work to support other DEI-related funds, including the Dean Thurman & Bishop Easterling Fellowship Fund and the Affirmation and Empowerment Fund sponsored by the STH Class of 2021
Faculty research and program support, such as that sponsored by the Raíces Latinas Program in Theology, Leadership and Research Fund, and the Faith & Ecological Justice Program
Global networking and educational opportunities, including student travel supported by the endowed Global & Contextual Engagement Fund
Your gift to any of these, or to another STH fund, will strengthen the school—and, beyond that, advance our mission of transforming theological education, religious leadership, and ultimately the world. I also look forward to the opportunity to meet you at a future event in person or at least online. We are deeply grateful for your support, your prayers, and your continuing connection to the School of Theology.
Sincerely,
G. Sujin Pak
Dean, School of Theology
PS: By giving to the School of Theology, you’re not just helping STH—you’re helping us all work toward an inspiring future. I urge you to visit bu.edu/give2sth today. inspiring future. I urge you to visit www.bu.edu/give2sth today.
September 22, 2021 Statement from Dean Pak, Dean Stone, and Dean De La Rosa
Many are aware of the recent Boston Globe article that features a current first-year Master of Divinity student who has made strong statements against COVID-19 vaccination and testing. As many already know, Boston University provides exemptions from vaccines for sincerely held religious beliefs. Alongside the University, the School of Theology respects the freedom of persons to express their views and defend them. The School of Theology also strongly affirms the profound importance of vaccination as a fundamental practice for the well-being and safety of our community and those around us. Further, the School of Theology proudly implements the University’s public health measures to help ensure the safety of every member of our community—and those with whom they come into contact—through mandated masking in University buildings and regular COVID-19 testing. Vaccination, masking, and testing are crucial practices that help ensure public health safety. They are also loving practices to express care and esteem toward vulnerable populations.
We are living in a world that is increasingly divided, where bridges for conversation and possibilities for compassion toward an opponent are rapidly disappearing and unsought. Divisions over matters of personal safety and basic human dignity, as well as matters where opposing sides claim their own ethical mandate, are the most acute. Understandably, they struggle to find (and often cannot find) common ground. There is reason and need passionately to stand for what one believes is right, just, and good. Indeed, that is the heartbeat of religion itself. Yet, looking at the history of religions and Christianity in particular, one finds that the failure often comes when we cease to be able to embrace each other’s humanity and can only singularly embrace our own cause at whatever cost it takes to win that cause. At that point, we have not only lost sight of another’s humanity, we begin to lose our own humanity.
We are convicted that Beloved Community has got to find a way to embrace differences, practice humility, and be saturated with compassion. We are also convicted that Beloved Community must have boundaries—things to which it does and will say “no.” Religious and faith communities have often struggled in how to say this “no” or to assert a particular identity without also demeaning the other. We desperately need a model of the nonviolent “no,” as well as the nonviolent “yes.”
We hope we can find a pathway that seeks to say yes to humility and empathy and no to arrogance and disparagement. May we together say yes to conviction with compassion.
People on both sides of the vaccination issue have a right to be heard—and listened to—precisely in the midst of passionate disagreement. People also need to feel safe, recognizing that definitions of safety vary quite significantly on each side. We hope we can find a pathway that seeks to say yes to humility and empathy and no to arrogance and disparagement. May we together say yes to conviction with compassion. May we together say yes to not losing sight of the humanity of each and every one of us.
G. Sujin Pak, Dean
Bryan Stone, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Cristian De La Rosa, Associate Dean for Students and Community Life
This article was originally published by The Los Angeles Sentinel on Sep. 8 and the full article can be found here.
The Right Reverend Clement W. Fugh (STH '73), presiding prelate of the Fifth Episcopal District of the AME Church, will be the guest preacher for the Centennial Anniversary of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) of Santa Monica By the Sea on Sunday, September 12, at 11 a.m., via Zoom.
The theme is “Voices: Cherishing the Past, Embracing the Present, Welcoming the Future,” said Pastor Carolyn Baskin-Bell, who also welcomed the public to tune in for the worship service.
The original story was published by theDaily Free Press on September 14, 2021. The following is an excerpt only. Pleaseclick hereto read the full article.
Archival exhibit sheds light on disability representation at BU
By Kendall Richards
The Boston University Diversity & Inclusion Learn More Series focused this year on raising awareness about disabilities and the impact of ableism through panels, discussions and exhibitions. As part of the series, a year-long exhibit that began on Sept. 7 in the School of Theology focused on Boston University’s own history with disability support and representation
For D&I’s Learn More series, the STH is holding an exhibit named “Along the Road to Accessibility: BU Disability History Exhibition,” which displays cultural artifacts of BU’s historic contribution to creating a more inclusive community.
The exhibit, which can be viewed in the STH Library or virtually online, also includes aself-guided walking tourto visit historic and symbolic buildings on campus and around Boston. Students, faculty and staff visiting the exhibit can view placards and relics that depict how resources for communities with disabilities have changed since the 19th century.
Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is hosting a comprehensive evaluation visit for reaffirmation of accreditation by the ATS Commission on Accrediting on November 1-4. The purpose of this visit is to verify that the school meets all applicable Commission Standards of Accreditation. Comments regarding how well the school meets those standards and/or generally demonstrates educational quality may be sent to the ATS Director of Commission Information Services at least two weeks before the visit. Comments may also or instead be sent in writing to Associate Dean Bryan P. Stone at bpstone@bu.edu.
All comments will be shared with the onsite evaluation committee.
Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Prof. Rufus Burrow, Jr.
Dr. Rufus Burrow, Jr.(STH'77, GRS'83), Indiana Professor of Christian Thought and Professor of Theological Social Ethics Emeritus at CTS, died on August 24, 2021, after an incredibly impactful life of teaching and scholarship.
Burrow came to CTS as Visiting Professor of Church and Society in 1983 after completing his PhD in Social Ethics from Boston University. He spent a long and celebrated career as a member of the CTS faculty, becoming Assistant Professor of Church and Society in 1984, receiving tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 1991, and becoming full Professor in 1998. Then, in 2002, he was appointed to the esteemed Indiana Professor of Christian Thought chair, a position he held into emeritus status in 2014. Through the years, he also taught courses at Anderson University/School of Theology, Martin University, and United Theological Seminary.
One of the most prolific faculty members in CTS’s history, Burrow wrote more than a dozen books, well over fifty articles, and he was at work on four additional manuscripts when he passed away. He was a renowned scholar of personalism (he wrote his dissertation on the theology of Edgar S. Brightman), social ethics, ethical prophecy, Black theology, and nonviolence.
Along with his work in the academy, Burrow was committed to the life of the church. A consistent advocate for justice in the church and the larger community, one of his final publications wasMaking Good the Claim: Holiness and Visible Unity in the Church of God Reformation Movement(Wipf and Stock), which challenged leaders and members in the Church of God movement to “make good” on their tradition’s historical commitments to racial justice and unity.
Equal to if not greater than his scholarly and ecclesial contributions is his influence on generations of CTS students. Known as a demanding, encouraging, incisive, supportive, and eminently fair teacher, Burrow is celebrated for his enormous impact on the formation of countless pastors, scholars, counselors, and community leaders. His classes on Ethical and Prophetic Witness of the Church and The Theological Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr., were staples in the CTS community for many years, and he taught widely on topics including Reinhold Niebuhr, James Cone, the sociology of religion, liberation theologies, the Black religio-cultural experience, and church and the urban poor.
The news of Burrow’s passing has been met with an outpouring of love and appreciation from CTS alumni. Dr. Lawrence Burnley, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Dayton, said, “Rufus stood firmly in the prophetic and priestly traditions of the church. He spoke truth to power and had a special place in his heart for ‘the least’ among us. I can say with great clarity that no single individual outside of my biological family has had a more profound impact on the trajectory of my ministerial and professional journey. God allowed Rufus to see in me what I didn’t see in myself. He helped me to see myself in others and love them as such.”
Rev. Ayanna Garrett, Associate Dean for Student Life at CTS, recalled, “Dr. Burrow was an amazing teacher, theologian and scholar. He taught me about my responsibility to do justice in the world. Although it’s been over 15 years since I have been in his classroom, his words still ring in my ear: ‘You must not only speak of justice, but it is imperative that your actions do justice as well.’”
Reflecting on his time with Burrow as a student, Rev. Dustin Hite, Senior Pastor at First Christian Church in Bargersville, IN, said, “His classes re-framed for me the prophetic and ethical role of the Church in the world, and he exposed me to ideas and writers and scholars who opened my eyes and deepened my faith in ways that still bear fruit today. To say the Church has lost an intellectual and prophetic giant is an understatement; to say that I am sad more students will not have the privilege of sitting under his teaching only begins to scratch the surface of how I’m feeling right now. Because of Dr. Burrow, I am a better pastor, Christian, and human being. His impact upon the body of Christ will live on in the hundreds of students who sat under his teaching.”
This press release was originally published on the United Methodist News on Sept. 2, 2021, by Sam Hodges. To read the full article, please click here.
With the recent tumultuous end of the 20-year Afghan war, tens of thousands of Afghans are arriving in the U.S., and United Methodists are part of the massive effort to help them make a fresh start.
UMCOR, ina recent webpage post, noted its plan to continue to support humanitarian relief in Afghanistan.
“Certainly that is our hope, that we would continue to be able to work with partners who are doing good work in Afghanistan,” said the Rev. Jack Amick (STH '06), who directs UMCOR’s global migration program, in a phone interview.
United Methodists and affiliate groups also are among those pressing the Biden administration to continue to help Afghans who served alongside the U.S., and who did not get to leave before the last U.S. military flight out of Kabul.
This press release was originally published by the Wareham Week on 09/07/2021, and can be found here.
Rev. Philomena Hare. Photo courtesy: First Congregational Church of Wareham
The First Congregational Church of Wareham at 11 Gibbs Ave. will celebrate the Installation of Rev. Philomena Hare on Sunday, Sept. 26.
Installation is a rite in the United Church of Christ that confirms and celebrates the relationship among a congregation, pastor, and the wider church.
A meet and greet will begin at 2:30 p.m., and the service will begin at 3 p.m.
Rev. Hare has been serving as pastor of the church since Sept. 2020. She earned a Master’s of Divinity from the Boston University School of Theology and a Master’s in Social Work from the Boston College School of Social Work.
Before serving in Wareham, Hare served at the Federated Church in Hyannis. She is also the Board President for the Massachusetts Bible Society.
“Library Mission Statements.” In Administration in Theological Libraries: The Theological Librarian’s Handbook, Vol. 2, edited by Andrew Keck. Chicago: Atla Open Press, 2021.
The Martyrs of Japan: Publication History and Catholic Missions in the Spanish World (Spain, New Spain, and the Philippines, 1597–1700). Studies in the History of Christian Traditions, Volume: 195. Leiden: Brill.
Captari, L.E., Tomlinson, J., Sandage, S.J., Oleson, D. A. (2021). Humility in seminary student formation: A mixed method community action study. Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. Advance online publication, DOI: 10.1177/19397909211040515
Jankowski, P.J., Hall, E.L., Sandage, S.J., & Dumitrascu, N. (2021). Religious leaders’ well-being: Protective influences for humility and differentiation against narcissism. Spirituality in Clinical Practice.
Paine, D.R., Sandage, S.J., Hook, J.N., Davis, D.E., & Johnson, K.A. (2021). Orienting to otherness: Intellectual humility, moral foundation, and mature alterity outcomes. Journal of Psychology and Theology.
Hauge, D.J., Sandage, S.J., Captari, L.E., & Crabtree, S.A. (2021). Relational spirituality, intercultural competence, and social justice in systemic therapies. New England Journal of Relational and Systemic Practice, 1.
This article was originally published by 
Dr. Rufus Burrow, Jr.(STH'77, GRS'83), Indiana Professor of Christian Thought and Professor of Theological Social Ethics Emeritus at CTS, died on August 24, 2021, after an incredibly impactful life of teaching and scholarship.
One of the most prolific faculty members in CTS’s history, Burrow wrote more than a dozen books, well over fifty articles, and he was at work on four additional manuscripts when he passed away. He was a renowned scholar of personalism (he wrote his dissertation on the theology of Edgar S. Brightman), social ethics, ethical prophecy, Black theology, and nonviolence.
Equal to if not greater than his scholarly and ecclesial contributions is his influence on generations of CTS students. Known as a demanding, encouraging, incisive, supportive, and eminently fair teacher, Burrow is celebrated for his enormous impact on the formation of countless pastors, scholars, counselors, and community leaders. His classes on Ethical and Prophetic Witness of the Church and The Theological Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr., were staples in the CTS community for many years, and he taught widely on topics including Reinhold Niebuhr, James Cone, the sociology of religion, liberation theologies, the Black religio-cultural experience, and church and the urban poor.